What’s it like to be a CyclePump? Where do they go? How long do they live? Here’s one story.
On October 10, 2002 Mike Paull of Seattle bought one of our first BestRest CyclePumps. He paid $50. As it turns out, his investment returned a few dividends… you might say he got his money’s worth.
CyclePump original design, with hand-folded aluminum.
Back in those days the CyclePump’s aluminum case was folded by hand from a scored aluminum blank. The air hose was only 6” long, the power plug was only designed to fit BMW sockets, and the pouch was barely big enough to fit the aluminum box. The finished product was primitive to the eye, but the engineering was sound and the components were reliable.
These days the CyclePump’s aluminum case is formed with a computerized hydraulic press. The switch is armored, there are 4 folding legs to keep the unit out of the dirt, the air hose is 18” long, the power cord has BMW/SAE/cigarette lighter/battery clip options, there’s an 8-ft power cord, and the pouch is larger to hold the CyclePump and other gear. The price is now $100, the result of inflation and product improvements, but it’s still money well spent.
But let’s get back to Mike and his CyclePump. He’s retired, intrepid, and always curious, Mike’s fortunate to have visited some interesting places both on 2 and 3 wheels. Here’s the list:
Albania • Austria • Azerbaijan • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Botswana • Bulgaria
Canada • China • Croatia • Czech Republic • Georgia • Germany • Greece
Hungary • Inner Mongolia • Italy • Japan • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Liechtenstein
Macedonia • Mexico • Montenegro • Namibia • Poland • Romania • Russia • Slovakia
South Africa • Swaziland • Switzerland • Turkey • Turkmenistan • Ukraine • USA
Uzbekistan • Yugoslavia • Zambia
Mike reckons he’s used his CyclePump on every continent except Antarctica. He’s circled the globe a couple times. He’s filled his own tires countless times, and the tires of other bikes countless more. Of all the gear Mike carries in his travels, the one thing he always takes along is a CyclePump. Mike’s not been gentle with his CyclePump – it shows clear evidence of years of hard use. Scratches, dents, dings, and healthy layer of road grime testify that the “Old Girl” had seen a lot of use. But never in all those years, in all those countries, did She fail to perform.
Nearly seven years later, in January ’09, Mike brought his CyclePump into our shop. The Old Girl was showing her age and slowing down a bit (like we all do). She was still able to inflate a tire, but not at the same speed as when She was shiny and new. We considered rebuilding the Old Girl, but after hearing where She’d gone, what She’d done, how She’d served, we decided Her time had come. With appropriate ceremony She was retired to a place of honor at BestRest World Headquarters. She now sits on a shelf with CyclePump Production Unit #10,000 and Unit #20,000. Yes, we’ve made that many over the years. FYI – Mike’s CyclePump was Unit #27.
Last time we saw Mike he was headed out the door with his new CyclePump, planning for a journey into South America. We reckon we’ll see him again in about a decade, when he’s ready for another one.
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